Meet Heather.This Golden Retriever is a graduate of All Puppy, Progressive Puppy, Middle Management, Intro to Agility, Goldens rule, Recall and Leash Manners, K9 Nose Work, Canine Good Citizen (she passed her AKC CGC test at under 2 years of age) and Field Trip. Wow, that's quite a resume of AnimalSense classes! It's even all the more impressive when you know that her dad wears hearing aids and her mom has been fighting cancer since 2012. Even so, they have only had to make up one night in all of Heather's classes.

Heather in Field Trip

How did your dog come to be a part of your family?

We met Heather's litter when they were just three days old. Steve picked up the smallest one, and it licked his finger and went to sleep in his hands. She picked us!

What are you hoping to achieve by training?

We have had dogs all of our lives, but never a large dog. We started training Heather at 12 weeks old, as we did not want her pulling us nor hurting anyone. We soon found out that puppy class was not about obedience for Heather, but rather a class of understanding and learning for us. Each new class is a new learning experience for us and a new adventure for Heather. From here, we plan on working with Heather to enter into therapy work.

What's the most valuable thing you've learned in class so far?

By natural instinct a dog can sense and react to your feelings. This can become your strongest connection with your dog.  If you want your dog to succeed you have to believe in them, and they in return will be more confident and do well. You must try to be as patient and positive as the trainers at school and practice every day what you have learned.